


His Butler, Paralyzing

by perfchan



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Bratty!Ciel, Canon Compliant, Gen, Halloween, M/M, Murder Mystery, Sadistic!Sebastian, Vampires, ish, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-28 03:01:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8428846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perfchan/pseuds/perfchan
Summary: In which Sebastian and Ciel investigate a series of murders that supposedly involve vampires. Set around Halloween. Canon compliant. Extremely brief mentions of manga only events and characters, but no spoilers.





	

“A vampire!” Lizzie squeals, clinging to Ciel’s chest. “How horrific,” she continues, eyes wide with appreciation as she examines his teeth. “Are you sure it’s wise though, Ciel, with recent events?”

“Zhat hass already been taken care aavh.”

“Young master, haven’t I taught you enough manners to know not to speak with your mouth full?” Sebastian clicks his tongue as he comes up behind Ciel. Without further warning, a gloved hand slides across Ciel’s jaw, coaxing his mouth wide. Sebastian removes the fang veneers, and languidly draws his fingers out of Ciel’s mouth as he remarks, “It is poor etiquette to speak in such a way in front of a lady.”

Glowering at having been chided, Ciel holds out one hand for Sebastian to return his fake fangs, and crossly wipes his mouth free of saliva, swatting away his butler’s touch. He clears his throat and resumes. “That’s already been taken care of, Lizzie. All you need worry about is enjoying your time this evening.”  

The annual Phantomhive Celebration of All Hallows’ Eve. In true Phantomhive style, the manor is decorated beyond reason; completely outdoing previous years. Games for the town’s children, dancing in the main hall, food and drink generously supplied. And every surface covered with tall red candles, hundreds of them, imparting an ethereal atmosphere to all other aspects of the night’s festivities.

Lizzie smiles sweetly and turns her gaze towards the butler. “So, Ciel looks quite wicked as a vampire, but what are you costumed as, Sebastian?”

“Who better to contain a vampire than a man of the cloth, Lady Elizabeth?” Sebastian makes a show of adjusting the collar of his cassock. “Although, it’s perhaps a tad too _virtuous_ for my taste.”

She giggles.

…..

One Week Prior

……

“Blast this so-called ‘vampire’ killer!!” Ciel throws down the newspaper violently enough to overturn his morning orange juice, no doubt soaking the duvet, were it not for his butler’s skilled hands waiting to catch the glass.

“I take it this morning’s report brings more ill news regarding the case?” Sebastian returns the glass back to the small table across Ciel’s lap, not a drop spilt. The Lord Phantomhive has elected to take breakfast in bed this morning, having woken up with a migraine, almost certainly caused by stress and lack of sleep due to his most recent case.

This morning’s paper details the finding of victims eleven, twelve, and thirteen. Apart from the first corpse, they’ve all been found in groups of three. (“Vampires kill in groups of three as an affront to The Trinity,” explained one Inspector Mullins, in an interview printed the previous week. Ciel had thown a tea cup at the wall of his study after reading that particular publication. Sebastian has never been more adept at retrieving glasses in midair than during their time on this case.) All the victims were young males, all without any other injury besides two fang-like puncture wounds near the jugular. Otherwise healthy, excepting the puncture wounds, and, well, a complete absence of blood.

The Queen’s summons had come directly after the first victim was found; she surmised it may have been connected with the dancehall case and wanted it closed as quickly as possible. Her watchdog however, has remained chained due to lack of corroborating evidence, and wholly without prey, though not from lack of effort on his part or the part of his butler.

Ciel pushes the plate aside, toast untouched. He slumps against his pillows, his arm slung across his uncovered eye to block out the offending light that manages to soak its way through the drawn curtains.

“Sebastian, did this latest crime scene reveal any evidence that the others did not?”

“None, my lord.” Sebastian gathers the uneaten meal back onto the tea cart for removal and instead places a warm cup of ginger tea into Ciel’s hand.

Ciel sips; it does help with the nausea slightly, and after a few minutes he continues.  “What did Sieglinde find in her autopsy?”

“Wounds identical to all the previous bodies.” Ciel sighs, but Sebastian continues: “At this point, she hypothesizes that the killer must somehow be subduing the victims and draining the blood before they are dead, although she is still unsure as to how he or she might achieve such complete dominance over the victims. Afterall, none show any signs of a struggle and all are of reasonable physical stature that they could have put up a fight if so inclined.”

Passing off the empty cup, Ciel reluctantly opens his eyes and swings his legs out of bed. Sebastian is waiting with a cool cloth that he can hold to his head while Sebastian dresses him for the day.

Buttons in place, shoes buckled, hair combed, Ciel looks at Sebastian and decides. “The only way we are going to finish this case is to actually see the ‘vampire’ in action. From here-on-out, that will be your main goal Sebastian: determine where he will strike next, and then, we shall see how our fangs compare.”

“Yes, my lord.”

……

They find themselves in a hospital.

It’s the one lead they have, the fact that two of the thirteen victims were visitors of patients in the same facility in the weeks prior to their death. It’s a weak lead and puts Ciel in a terrible mood. The chemical smell of the hospital is overwhelming. He feels out of place among doctors dressed in pale colors saving lives.

Still, weak lead though it is, it proves to be enough. They’re barely in the door before Sebastian has the two chattiest nurses answering his questions through breathy laughs. They’ve heard the rumor about the vampire; it’s why they won’t leave the hospital alone anymore. Everyone says, one girl tells Sebastian in confidence, a hand on his arm, that it’s one of the doctors. A surgeon who purposefully botches operations when he gets hungry. He never sleeps, and some people have even seen his fangs, the other says, eyes wide as she purses her lips into an attractive pout.

Sebastian thanks them for their time, and gravely warns them to be careful; they are too pretty to be eaten by vampires. Ciel rolls his eyes.

He tolerates it, however, as now they have a potential suspect. Once they can speak alone, he commands Sebastian to tail the aforementioned surgeon, who is known to be consulting with a patient in the west wing of the hospital, while he examines the operating suite, at the far end of the east wing.

“Do you think it wise, young master, to split up at this stage of the case?” Sebastian asks.

“Sebastian, this is an order.” Ciel crosses his arms. “Find the man they were talking about, and we shall determine whether he is our killer. In the meantime, I’m simply going to have a look around.”

……

Sebastian finds the poor accused man easily. He is curled against a wall in an office that is more like a closet, trying to get a bit of sleep between patients. He snores softly, exhausted but without any kind of guilt or madness written on his features. He is certainly no vampire, and also not their killer.

_This game is not without wrong moves._

He makes his way to the east wing.

……

Ciel goes through the last set of doors leading to this wing of the hospital. There are no general patients here, and no surgeries scheduled for this time of the day. He holds his breath, listening for a moment, before opening the door to the first room. Nothing.

The second room is identical to the first, across the hall. A series of tables, in the center of the room. Vials and syringes, and tools, lined up in cabinets against the wall.

These draw Ciel’s eye and he takes a closer look. A sudden realization strikes him, how this supposed vampire could keep the victims perfectly still, using quite _un_ -supernatural means. He turns to leave, but is instead met with a smile and a looooong needle.

……

It doesn’t take long for the drug to have its intended action.

“Vecuronium.” The man holds up the vial as Ciel finds himself collapsed on the floor, unable to move, unable to reply. “Complete neuromuscular blockade. That means,” he strolls around Ciel, fingers dancing over his neck, at the place he intends to puncture, “you cannot move. At all. Of course, when used medically, the patient is sedated before a paralytic is administered. Because….to not be able to move, and yet, to be completely aware….is there anything more terrifying?” His smile breaks into a chuckle, and then a full on laugh. It rings throughout the room, a laugh void of reason, maniacal.

He hoists Ciel up onto the operating table and begins further explanation, as he arranges Ciel’s arms by his sides, straightens out his knees. “After administering the vec, I give a very veeeeeeeery large dose of an anticoagulant. To prevent clotting. Because I want all of that beaaaaauutiful blood to come pouring out before your body can put a stop to it.” He readies another syringe. “And I’ll have you know, that’s no easy task, considering how small the puncture wounds are.” He taps the needle against his cheek in thought. “Of course……I do loooooovee a challenge.”

“A challenge, this is not.” Sebastian strides out of the darkness that’s been curling in the corners of the otherwise well-lit room, and before the man can utter another word, breaks his neck. He wrinkles his nose in distaste at the man’s expression, eyes wide, mouth frozen in a senseless smile. He steps over his body and surveys the room, an operating suite with three tables. Sebastian snorts, an affront to The Trinity indeed. More like, the maximum number of beds available. He retrieves the syringe from the floor, where it had fallen, and pricks his thumb, watching his ‘blood’ fail to clot. _Hmm._ The wound closes anyways, of course, and he tosses the syringe aside, disinterested. He sets his sight on his motionless master.

“How fascinating.”

Sebastian is on top of him before a human eye can see his feet leave the floor, not that there is another soul around to see. He straddles him, surveying from above, head cocked to one side. His thighs squeeze into Ciel’s hips, but he remains careful not to rest his full weight on him, feeling how his lungs and heart are already struggling. He lifts one arm, and letting go, watches as it falls back to the table, lifeless. “Fascinating,” he breathes again, and bends down, pressing his forehead to Ciel’s, looking into his eye. Without looking away, he flicks off the eyepatch and watches the contract seal shimmer.

“Yes my lord, I hear you.” Gloves removed, Sebastian has his hands pooled in Ciel’s hair, palms against his temples, thumbs running over his eyebrows as he stares into Ciel’s eyes. “Or rather,” he murmurs, mouth so close to Ciel’s, “I feel you. The panic rolling off you. You are utterly terrified.”

Sebastian straightens slightly, allowing space between their faces, if only a little. He runs the back of his hand, the one with his own contract seal, against Ciel’s cheek. He lets it burn into the coolness of his skin.

Ciel watches, immobile, as Sebastian shifts his weight over him. He loosens his tie, toys with the pin on his lapel, and smiles down, fangs gleaming despite the harsh light of the room. His eyes narrow into half moons as he smiles, insidious, “Not of me, oh dear, no. Why would my master be frightened of me, his ever obedient butler?”

Darkness billows around him, wicking the light away as Sebastian visibly hesitates, weighing his options. He is so hungry.

Sebastian inhales, breathing in the rage that’s gradually replacing the terror emanating from the soul beneath him. “Now, now, young master, there’s no need to be angry.” His tongue runs over his lips, the resentment is palpable, and delicious. He places a palm over Ciel’s heart. “I can already feel your pulse returning to its normal rate. This chemical must be short lived with no one here to administer a second dose.” Sebastian seems to be reluctant to break such close contact with him, and once more leans down. This time, it is more like an embrace, as Sebastian positions his mouth close to Ciel’s ear, and gathers his body upwards, one hand supporting the back of his head. He’s made his decision. He whispers, “This would be a most boring end to our game, my lord. You are in no danger from me until our contract is fulfilled.”

He carries Ciel like that, a pantomime of tenderness, back home. The paralytic wears off violently, and Ciel shivers and cries in Sebastian’s arms, despite himself, because as movement comes back into his limbs so does feeling, and pain. Sebastian shushes him quietly and offers him a hand to squeeze as he gasps air back into his lungs for what feels like the first time in hours. The first thing Ciel does when he has control of his arms, and the energy to do so, is slap Sebastian across the face. Sebastian allows one hit, then pins Ciel’s arms down, amiably telling him to not get carried away.

……

Ciel settles the score in his own way, however. Its four days before he will speak to Sebastian. Instead he issues long lists of nigh impossible tasks (“For the Halloween party, there should be cobwebs covering every wall, both inside and out. The cobwebs should be made of intricate lace. The lace should be handwoven. See that it’s done by tomorrow.”). He demands meals which are time-consuming to prepare and which he “spills” across the dining hall table as soon as Sebastian exits the room. He goes limp whenever Sebastian tries to bathe him or clothe him, and answers Sebastian’s exasperated monologue with a defiant look that practically screams “ _I thought you much preferred me this way_.”

He breaks his silence on the fifth day, the night before the party.

“Sebastian, after much consideration, I have thought of a perfect costume for you to wear tomorrow.”

“Is that so, young master?” Sebastian pauses in fluffing his pillows, ignoring the fact that this is the first they've spoken in days. Ciel waves him aside. He crawls out of bed and opens the door of his wardrobe, pulling out a long box.

Opening a box with a flourish, Ciel withdraws a garment that is so musty and tattered he can see Sebastian shudder before he even realizes what it is. “I had Bard borrow it from a local clergyman. It’s a bit old, and perhaps a bit too small, but I’m sure you’ll make it work. You are a Phantomhive butler afterall.” He smiles innocently as he holds the vestments to Sebastian’s chest.

Sebastian holds the garment gingerly, pinching the very tops of the shoulders. He barely wants to touch the thing, much less wear it. Still....without his master's rather _malicious_ wit, this game wouldn't be nearly as fun.

“Yes, my lord.”

……

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> \- Inspector Mullins: this is a cameo from a character in “His Butler and the Endearing Inspector Mullins,” a fic I wrote a few months back. It’s similar to this one, so if you liked this and haven’t read it, please feel free to take a look.  
> \- Vecuronium: my medically inclined bros, feel free to stop laughing at me anytime. Yes, vec is a real drug that is used in anesthetic, yes, like the crazy doctor/vampire said, patients are definitely sedated prior to its use because otherwise it would be very inhumane. Other than that, I definitely made stuff up. Pretty sure you have to be intubated and on a vent because you wouldn’t be able to breathe when paralyzed. I thought it would be a liiiiiiiittle too over the top for Sebastian to be giving Ciel breaths though lol  
> \- Whether the hospital is period appropriate is dubious. Especially the nurses. Please excuse any anachronisms  
> \- I think Sebastian is probably the most vain creature imaginable so making him wear a grubby little clergyman’s outfit is the meanest thing I could come up with  
> \- Happy Halloween, and thank you so much for reading!!!!


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